WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Morning routines may look a bit different next school year for Williamsville families.
On Tuesday night, parents learned more about a proposal that is months in the making.
In October 2024, we told you about the district considering pushing back the start times across all schools with the goal of helping students perform better in the classroom.
We previously heard from two Williamsville South students and the principal who voiced their support for the change. You can watch our previous report below and read more here.
This is what a school day would look like for the district:
Elementary Schools:
- Dodge, Heim, Forest and Maple East: 7:50 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Country Parkway and Maple West: 8:20 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Middle Schools:
- Casey, Heim, Mill and Transit: 8:20 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
High Schools:
- East, North and South: 8:50 a.m. – 3:40 p.m.
This proposal has sparked plenty of questions and Tuesday night the students voiced their thoughts.
"I thought they brought up some interesting points," Williamsville East High School Senior Samuel Lee said. "First, I would like to mention that I appreciate that they approached this solely from a research perspective. They supported their scientific findings. I'm all for it. I think that, especially as a student myself, I find myself studying late at night until 2 a.m. or even 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. I just don't have enough sleep to function for my test."
"I am also supportive of the proposal," Williamsville East High School Senior April Yang said. "I think a big concern a lot of my friends had was if the school's start time is later, then students would also sleep later. However, in the proposal, they presented us with research that shows that students get more sleep."
"Previously, there was an hour in between school ending and sports starting, that wouldn't change and would start around the same time," Williamsville East High School Senior Tabitha Swiatek said. "It just seems like you would get more sleep than just do better in school overall. Now, I think it's a good idea."
The school board plans to vote on this proposal in February.
If passed, the new start times would go into effect for the 2025-26 school year.
